Kitchen countertop appliances incorporate electric motors operable to slice, dice, crush, mix, blend or otherwise process food and drink products. The motors, which generally operate at high speeds, are cooled to operate efficiently. Typically, electric appliance motors are cooled by a fan integral to the motor wherein the fan blows air on or draws air over the motor during operation.
Unfortunately, many existing appliance cooling systems are inefficient. This commonly occurs because the appliance moves an insufficient volume of cooling air, often due to vents of inadequate surface area, and/or may have an inefficient air outlet configuration. These inefficiencies may result in reduced cooling.
In addition to cooling the motor, fan operation creates noise. Consequently, if a designer tries to compensate for the poor cooling of a motor with a more aggressive fan, the result creates even more noise. Thus, there is a balance that must be struck between the power level of the fan (which increases cooling by drawing more air over the motor) with noise generation (a more powerful motor may generate more noise). The exit outlet of the cooling air may be a particularly prominent outlet for motor/fan noise. As such, different designs of motors, fans, and blender housings demand new air flow designs.